You know, I went a whole month without writing one of these. It was good. A much needed respite from the goaltending disease known as Andrew Joseph Ernest Raycroft.
But my man in Colorado has been playing some games. Poorly, of course. And I think we all knew it was only a matter of time before that happened.
Anyway, I've decided that I'm not going to be so hard on Raycroft anymore. He's a terrible goalie. I think we all get it. Life goes on.
The only thing that matters from here on out is that, so as to keep the laws of the universe in proper working order, Vesa Toskala finishes the season with a higher save percentage than Raycroft. That's it.
And as you might have noticed, there now exists a sidebar on your right called "The Interns of the Iced Igloos," in honour of the one and only Joe Bowen. That's where I'm keeping score.
Thanks to a meagre .877 save percentage in his last four games (three losses and a no-decision), Raycroft's down to .894 on the season. Toskala, after his stellar February, is only half a percentage point behind him.
Well done, Vesa. You're almost there, my Finnish friend.
It's happening. The universe is righting itself. And it's a beautiful thing.
Deadline Day
It's tomorrow. And it's kind of a big deal.
Are you giddy with excitement? Or are you, like me, praying that come 3:00 PM eastern time on Wednesday, Tomas Kaberle is still a Toronto Maple Leaf?
Look, you don't trade a guy with that much talent, at that price tag ($4.25 million), when you know the salary cap will be coming down. Period.
Plus, we need him for our PLAYOFFS! run.
Anyway, if you're hanging out on the internetz tomorrow, my man Down Goes Brown will be live-blogging the festivities, beginning first thing in the morning. Join him. And if he makes any rental player jokes about Mats Sundin, give him hell.
5 comments:
I watched the NYI-COL game last night. Two of the four goals that got by Raycroft were just awful. I was wondering if I'd wake up to find a new installment of the Raycrap Report.
Raycroft is a UFA this summer. Do you think he'll get a fourth chance with another club or have his sub-par performances in Boston, Toronto and Colorado brought an end to his NHL career?
@mf37:
Imagine you and your buddies are entering a ball hockey tournament; you've ponied up some dough for an entry fee, booked a hotel and made arrangements for transportation. It's going to be a weekend away from the responsibilities of home with your crew; the only thing is, you need someone to play goal.
Andrew Raycroft is available. Do you offer him that spot and take the chance that his gawdawful performance will ruin the whole thing for you and your boys?
I didn't think so.
If we can get a first rounder, a few draft picks, and/or a few other prospects for Kaberle I am all for it. I just want a future for the Leafs and that future starts with draft picks/highly touted prospects.
Always hurts to see a fan favourite leave but it just might be the best for the team.
PS - Raycroft will find a home as a back-up goalie somewhere in the league. He is still valuable because he has experience, even with the bad stats, and he can hold down a back-up role.
On The Fence Sports
I so wish Raycroft was worse than Toskala this year.
Trade Kaberle, never trust a man who doesn't shave.
with toskala now out, it's all on razor to finish with a higher save percentage...quite a story to keep track of...
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